“The Lord roars^(F) from Zion
    and thunders^(G) from Jerusalem;^(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
    and the top of Carmel^(I) withers.”^(J)

“For three sins of Damascus,^(K)
    even for four, I will not relent.^(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
    with sledges having iron teeth,
⁴ I will send fire^(M) on the house of Hazael^(N)
    that will consume the fortresses^(O) of Ben-Hadad.^(P)
5 I will break down the gate^(Q) of Damascus;
    I will destroy the king who is in^[b] the Valley of Aven^[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.^(R)
    The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,^(S)”
says the Lord.^(T)

“For three sins of Gaza,^(U)
    even for four, I will not relent.^(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
    and sold them to Edom,^(W)
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.
⁸ I will destroy the king^[d] of Ashdod^(X)
    and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand^(Y) against Ekron,
    till the last of the Philistines^(Z) are dead,”^(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.^(AB)

“For three sins of Tyre,^(AC)
    even for four, I will not relent.^(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
    disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,^(AE)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
    that will consume her fortresses.^(AF)”

“For three sins of Edom,^(AG)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword^(AH)
    and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
    and his fury flamed unchecked,^(AI)
12 I will send fire on Teman^(AJ)
    that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.^(AK)”

“For three sins of Ammon,^(AL)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women^(AM) of Gilead
    in order to extend his borders,
¹⁴ I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah^(AN)
    that will consume^(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries^(AP) on the day of battle,
    amid violent winds^(AQ) on a stormy day.
¹⁵ Her king^[e] will go into exile,
    he and his officials together,^(AR)”
says the Lord.^(AS)

“For three sins of Moab,^(AT)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes^(AU)
    the bones of Edom’s king,
² I will send fire on Moab
    that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.^[f](AV)
Moab will go down in great tumult
    amid war cries^(AW) and the blast of the trumpet.^(AX)
3 I will destroy her ruler^(AY)
    and kill all her officials with him,”^(AZ)
says the Lord.^(BA)

“For three sins of Judah,^(BB)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law^(BC) of the Lord
    and have not kept his decrees,^(BD)
because they have been led astray^(BE) by false gods,^[g](BF)
    the gods^[h] their ancestors followed,^(BG)
5 I will send fire^(BH) on Judah
    that will consume the fortresses^(BI) of Jerusalem.^(BJ)”

“For three sins of Israel,
    even for four, I will not relent.^(BK)
They sell the innocent for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals.^(BL)
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
    as on the dust of the ground
    and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
    and so profane my holy name.^(BM)
8 They lie down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge.^(BN)
In the house of their god
    they drink wine^(BO) taken as fines.^(BP)

⁹ “Yet I destroyed the Amorites^(BQ) before them,
    though they were tall^(BR) as the cedars
    and strong as the oaks.^(BS)
I destroyed their fruit above
    and their roots^(BT) below.
¹⁰ I brought you up out of Egypt^(BU)
    and led^(BV) you forty years in the wilderness^(BW)
    to give you the land of the Amorites.^(BX)

¹¹ “I also raised up prophets^(BY) from among your children
    and Nazirites^(BZ) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
¹² “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.^(CA)

¹³ “Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.^(CB)
14 The swift will not escape,^(CC)
    the strong^(CD) will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.^(CE)
15 The archer^(CF) will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman^(CG) will not save his life.^(CH)
16 Even the bravest warriors^(CI)
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

² “You only have I chosen^(CL)
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish^(CM) you
    for all your sins.^(CN)”

³ Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
⁴ Does a lion roar^(CO) in the thicket
    when it has no prey?^(CP)
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
⁵ Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait^(CQ) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
⁶ When a trumpet^(CR) sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster^(CS) comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it?^(CT)

⁷ Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
    without revealing his plan^(CU)
    to his servants the prophets.^(CV)

⁸ The lion^(CW) has roared^(CX)—
    who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
    who can but prophesy?^(CY)

⁹ Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod^(CZ)
    and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;^(DA)
    see the great unrest within her
    and the oppression among her people.”

¹⁰ “They do not know how to do right,^(DB)” declares the Lord,
    “who store up in their fortresses^(DC)
    what they have plundered^(DD) and looted.”

“An enemy will overrun your land,
    pull down your strongholds
    and plunder your fortresses.^(DE)”

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s^(DF) mouth
    only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
    with only the head of a bed
    and a piece of fabric^[i] from a couch.^[j](DG)”

¹⁴ “On the day I punish^(DI) Israel for her sins,
    I will destroy the altars of Bethel;^(DJ)
the horns^(DK) of the altar will be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
¹⁵ I will tear down the winter house^(DL)
    along with the summer house;^(DM)
the houses adorned with ivory^(DN) will be destroyed
    and the mansions^(DO) will be demolished,^(DP)”
declares the Lord.^(DQ)

⁴ May those who seek my life^(I)
    be disgraced^(J) and put to shame;^(K)
may those who plot my ruin
    be turned back^(L) in dismay.
⁵ May they be like chaff^(M) before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord^(N) driving them away;
⁶ may their path be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

⁷ Since they hid their net^(O) for me without cause^(P)
    and without cause dug a pit^(Q) for me,
⁸ may ruin overtake them by surprise—^(R)
    may the net they hid entangle them,
    may they fall into the pit,^(S) to their ruin.
⁹ Then my soul will rejoice^(T) in the Lord
    and delight in his salvation.^(U)
10 My whole being will exclaim,
    “Who is like you,^(V) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong^(W) for them,
    the poor and needy^(X) from those who rob them.”

¹¹ Ruthless witnesses^(Y) come forward;
    they question me on things I know nothing about.
¹² They repay me evil for good^(Z)
    and leave me like one bereaved.
¹³ Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth^(AA)
    and humbled myself with fasting.^(AB)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
¹⁴     I went about mourning^(AC)
    as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
    as though weeping for my mother.
¹⁵ But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;^(AD)
    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
    They slandered^(AE) me without ceasing.
¹⁶ Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;^[b](AF)
    they gnashed their teeth^(AG) at me.

⁶ At the window of my house
    I looked down through the lattice.
⁷ I saw among the simple,
    I noticed among the young men,
    a youth who had no sense.^(E)
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
    walking along in the direction of her house
⁹ at twilight,^(F) as the day was fading,
    as the dark of night set in.

¹⁰ Then out came a woman to meet him,
    dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
¹¹ (She is unruly^(G) and defiant,
    her feet never stay at home;
¹² now in the street, now in the squares,
    at every corner she lurks.)^(H)
13 She took hold of him^(I) and kissed him
    and with a brazen face she said:^(J)

¹⁴ “Today I fulfilled my vows,
    and I have food from my fellowship offering^(K) at home.
¹⁵ So I came out to meet you;
    I looked for you and have found you!
¹⁶ I have covered my bed
    with colored linens from Egypt.
¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed^(L)
    with myrrh,^(M) aloes and cinnamon.
¹⁸ Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
    let’s enjoy ourselves with love!^(N)
19 My husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey.
²⁰ He took his purse filled with money
    and will not be home till full moon.”

²¹ With persuasive words she led him astray;
    she seduced him with her smooth talk.^(O)
22 All at once he followed her
    like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer^[a] stepping into a noose^[b](P)
23     till an arrow pierces^(Q) his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
    little knowing it will cost him his life.^(R)

²⁴ Now then, my sons, listen^(S) to me;
    pay attention to what I say.
²⁵ Do not let your heart turn to her ways
    or stray into her paths.^(T)
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
    her slain are a mighty throng.
²⁷ Her house is a highway to the grave,
    leading down to the chambers of death.^(U)